Clip spot cord retainer



April 1941- A. A. GORDON, 30., g-r 2,238,520

cur sro r com) RETAINER Filed April 29, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1' inventorsMbert A.Gord0n, 5rd Albert Pa.\rner mfii g 5 ,Attornev P A. A. GORDON,3D,, ErAL 2,238,520

CLIP SPOT CORD RETAINER Filed April 29, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lnvenrovs.Awefi A.Govdon,3 rd A\bert PaAmev Patented Apr. 15, 1941 CLIP SPOT CORDRETAINER Albert A. Gordon, 3rd, and Albert Palmer, Worcester, Mass,assignors to Crompton & Knowles Loom Works, Worcester, Mass, acorporation of Massachusetts Application April 29, 1940, SerialNo.332,204

14 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in retainers for decorative cordsused in the weaving of curtain material and it is the general object ofthe invention to provide improved means by which such a retainer can becalled into action.

selectively with respect to the several weft threads used in weaving thecurtain.

In the weaving of certain types of curtains the body of the curtain ismade'as an open mesh weave and at desired intervals relatively coarsecolored weft yarns are introduced for their decorative effect. The weftthread for the ground weave runs to the selvages of the curtain, but thecolor effects of the large yarns do not ordinarily extend the full widthof the curtain, and in order to prevent waste of these colored yarns itis customary to use pins or retainers spaced from the selvages inwardlytoward the center of the fabric. These retainers are controlled to movedown behind the color yarn on the backward stroke of the lay prior topicking in order to holdthe threads and prevent them from twisting orbending the warp of the ground weave.

In automatic looms on which these curtains are woven a so-called colorrod ordinarily extends from the drop box end of the loom across to themagazine end, replenishment being effected in a single shuttle box atthat end of the lay opposite the shifting shuttle boxes. It is animportant object of our present invention toprovide control connectionson the color rod which rocks in coordination with the shifting of theshuttle boxes to determine on which picks of the loom the retainersshall be operative. The color rod is already present in multi-color weftreplenishing looms and we use it to control the retainer selectively.

It is a further object of our present invention to subject the retainerpin to a force tending to move it to inoperative position and tooverpower -x this force by a control derived from the color rod so thatthe retainer can move to operative position when the colored weft isbeing woven.

As already suggested it is desirable when weaving certain patterns toprovide for more than one decorative weft and it is a further object ofour present invention to introduce between the retainer and its colorrod control a form of mechanism which will permit the retainer to be inoperative yarn holding position for as many positions of the shuttleboxes as correspond to the desired number of decorative yarns.

Retainer pins as heretofore constructed and controlled have frequentlycaused scoring or grooving of the race plate due to the fact that 9 thepin has moved to its operating position by a quick downward motion.This'is likely to occurfwhen the retainer pin is released suddenlyimmediately prior to picking by a control exercised directly by theshifting shuttle boxes. It is a further object of our present inventionto release the retainer pin when the lay is near enough to its forwardposition to prevent im-' mediate movement of the retainer to weftholdihg position. This result we attain by using the aforsaid colorselector rod of the weft replenishing mechanism. The comparatively earlyarrival of the color rod to its selected position, a condition desirablefor the replenishing features of the loom, permits release of theretainer and engagement of a partthereof with a finger or the like onthe lay which acts during rearward motion of the lay to permit theretainer to move gradually to its operating position. Because of thisgradual movement there is little or no tendency for'the retainer fingerto move beyond its correct position and the grooving of the race plateis avoided.

With these and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, our invention resides in the combination andarrangement of parts hereinafter described and set I forth.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein a conventient embodiment of ourinvention is set forth,

Fig. 1 is an end elevation of a portion of a loom having our inventionapplied thereto,

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the structure shown in Fig. 1 on a reducedscale,

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view showing the successive positions of partof the retainer controlling mechanism as the shifting boxes move toplace the various weaving shuttles in active position,

Fig. 4 is a plan view on an enlarged scale showing certain partsillustrated at the right hand of Fig. 2,

Fig. 5 is a rear elevation looking in the direction of arrow 5, Fig. 4,v

Fig. 6 is a vertical section on line 6-6 of Fig. 4 showing the twopositions which are assumed by a part of the control mechanism for theretainer,

Fig. '7 is a vertical section on line 1-'I of Fig. 4 showing theretainer controlled so as to be in inoperative position,

Fig. 8 is a view similar to a portion of Fig. '7,

but with the retainer shown in dotted position to cooperate with thedecorative yarns and in the front center position in full lines, theretainer being lifted out of controlling position with respect to thedecorative yarns, and

Fig. 9 is a detailed vertical section on line 8-4! of Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawings, particularly Figs. 1 and 2, the loom frame Iis provided with a lay II on which is mounted a gang of verticallyreciprocating shuttle boxes l2, which in this instance cooperates withfour shuttles being designated from top to bottom as S, 8 S and S. Theseshuttles become active in a rotation determined by pattern mechanism notshown but Well understood, their period of shifting occur ring when thelay is near its front center position, or the right of its :back andforth swing as viewed in Fig. 1. This reciprocation of the lay may beeffected by a connector [3 driven in the usual manner by the top orcrank shaft not shown.

The gang of shuttle boxesis mounted at the upper end of a rod IS thelower end of which is pivoted as at to a link 1! having a yielding arm I8 normally held toward the link by a spring I9. to receive a pin 2| on abox lifting lever 22. The upper ends of the parts I! and I8 are hingedas at 23 to permit relative separation so that the lever 22 can movevertically without breakage of parts should the gang of shuttle boxes beheld against vertical motion, as by a misplaced shuttle.

The mechanism for shifting the gang of shuttle boxes vertically isdesignated generally at B and comprises front and back shafts 25 and 26,

respectively, which are rocked by mechanism not shown but wellunderstood. A cam disk 21 secured to front shaft 25 is connected to alink 28, while a cam disk 29 fastened to rear shaft 25 is connected to alink 30. Link 28 is connected as at 3| to an arm 32 pivoted as at 33 tothe loom frame. The box lifting lever 22 is pivoted as at 34 to the arm32 and is also pivoted as at 35 to the upper end of the rear link 30. Acounterweight 36 may :be used if desired to offset the weight of theboxes at the front end of the lever 22.

Disk 21 has high and low dwells 40 and 4|, respectively, while the reardisk 29 has similar high and low dwells 42 and 43, respectively. Afloating lever 45 has front and back shoes 45 and 41, respectively,which rest on the disks 2! and 29, respectively. Lever 45 is pivoted at48 to an ascending link 49 pivoted at 54 to an arm 5| secured to arocking color selector rod 52. The rod 52 oscillates in fixed bearingsone of which is shown at 53 and normally extends across the loom to haveconnection with the color selector of a multi-color weft replenishingmechanism not shown. The pivot 48 is supported by an arm 55 pivoted at55 to a fixed support and keeps the feet 46 and 4'! properly placed withrespect to the disks. A torsion spring 51 around rod 52 acts on a collar58 fixed to the rod and urges the latter in such a direction as to keepthe lever 45 yieldingly down. This spring also tends to move rod I01forwardly.

The matter thus far described is well understood and comprises one ofthe types of box shifting mechanisms employed heretofore on cottonlooms, and the disks 21 and 29 are similar to those which have been usedon multi-color weft replenishing looms more particularly of the cottontype. The two vertical positions of each The parts I! and I8 define apocket 1 of the links 28 and 3'5 make it possible to render any one ofthe four shuttles active, the relationship being as follows: whenshuttle S is to be active and the boxes are to be in their lowestposition, link 28 will be down while link 30 will be up, thus placinghigh dwells 49 and 42 under lever 45 to move the latter to the highposition shown at line a, Fig. 3; when shuttle S is to be active bothlinks 28 and 30 will be up. thereby placing low dwell 4| and high dwell42 under lever 45 to cause the latter to assume the position shown infull lines at b, Fig. 3; when shuttle S is to be active both the links28 and 30 will be down, thus placing high dwell 4B and low dwell 43under lever 45 to give the latter the position indicated by line 0, Fig.3; and, when shuttle S is to be active link 28 will be up while link 30will be down, thereby placing low dwells 4| and 43 under lever 45 togive the Latter the position indicated by line if in Fig. 3. The pivot48 on lever 45 is located to the left of the center of the lever,preferably at a point where a vertical line passing through the lines a,-b, c. and d of Fig. 3 will be cut into equal segments by them. The boxmotion may be substantially the same as that shown in Wyman Patent No.411,752 and the disks may be similar to those shown in Ryon Patent No.1,030,748.

From the description given it will be understood that the verticalmotion of link 49 is controlled by the box shifting mechanism and itspositions are coordinated with the positions of the gang of boxes, therelationship being such that when link 49 and arm 5! to which it isattached are in the positions corresponding respectively to lines a, b,c and d of Fig. 3, the active shuttles will be, respectively, S, S S andS The highest shuttle in the shuttle box is active when lever 45 is inits highest position, while the lowest shuttle is active when lever 45is in its lowest position, and there is a correspondenoe of positionsfor the intermediate shuttles and positions of lever 45.

The high and low dwells occupy a relatively large part of the peripheryof the disks and are so placed with respect to the connections betweenthe disks and their links as to complete vertical movement of lever 45considerably in advance of the ending of the corresponding box shiftingmotion. The placing of lever 45 may, if desired, be effected while thelay is at or close to its front center position and prior to picking.The reason for this early setting of the lever 45 is to initiate releaseof a selected reserve bobbin in the magazine before the depleted shuttleis picked toward the magazine. This last feature is set forth in theRyon Patent No. 1,030,748 and has been in common use for many years.

The lay [comprises a beam 60 carrying a reed 6| the upper part of whichis held by a hand rail 62. The shuttle race 63 is below the cloth C therearmost pick F of which designates the fell of the cloth. Extendingrearwardly from the fell are the warp threads W and W which are shiftedby any desired form of harness mechanism to provide successive shedsduring loom operation.

The loom frame has a breast beam 65 on which is mounted a temple Thaving a rearwarly extending shank 65 to which is secured the podcarrier 67 through which the woven fabric passes. The temple includes inits construction a housing 68 held adjust'ably on the breast beam asillustrated in Fig. 4, and the housing includes a spring 69 whichnormally holds the temple rearwardly but permits forward yielding motionthereof should. a misplaced shuttle be moved against the. temple as thelay approaches front center. Included in the construction of the templeis a shelf 10 over which the woven cloth passes. The temple is of usualconstruction and operates in the ordinary manner. to keep the clothspread to its proper width at a point close to the fell. As shown inFig. 4, the pod carrierextends inwardly from the selvage L. The templeof itself forms no part of my present invention but is set forth becauseof its close relationship to the retainer to be described in detailhereinafter.

In carrying our invention into eifect we provide two retainers, one foreach side of the cloth being woven, and two control mechanisms, one foreach retainer. Since the, retainers and their control mechanisms are thesame, a. detailed description of one of them will be. given and it. willbe understood that the other retainer and its control will be similartothe parts specifically described. Near one end of the breast beam, theright end as set forth in Fig. 4, we secure a bearing I in which isjournaled the outer end of a rocking rod II. set screw 13 and has alongitudinal slot I4 in the upper face thereof. As shown in Fig. 7 thisslot receives an. end of a retainer wire designated generally at 1-5.This wire extends into the collar as at 16 and is held inposition by aset screw 11. I

The wire then extends upwardly and is bent laterally as at 18 below thetop of the slot M, the part I8 thereby being held against angular motionwith respect to the collar. The wire thenextends outwardly and is bentup as at 80, being curved and bent back on itself to form an upwardlyprojecting arm 8| from the lower rear part of which extends the,retainer pin proper designated at 82. The end of the retainer pin swingsaround rod 1 I as an axis and is solocated as to project d'ownwardly inthe dotted line position of Fig. 8 at a position slightly behind thefellof the cloth when the retainer pin is in operating position. The shelfon the temple moves forwardly in a horizontal plane at the time offorward yielding of the temple along a path abovethe rod H and below thehorizpntal section 18 of the retainer wire. In this way provision ismade for forward movement of the temple without damaging the retainerpin. or its mountings. it

As viewed in Fig. 4 the left end of rod II extends through a bearing 85secured to the breast beam and projects to the left of said bearing tobe surrounded by a torsion spring 86 one end of which is held by thebearing as at 81 and the other end of which is held by a collar 88 angularly and longitudinally adjusted on the rod I I and held in positionby a set screw 89. The effect of spring 86 is to turn rod 'II and theretainer pinin a right hand or clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 7from which it is to be understood that spring 86 yielding holds theretainer pin in the position shown in the dotted lines in Fig. 8 whendecorative wefts are being woven and when permitted to do so by acontrol to be described.

The control mechanism for the rod II and therefore the retainer pincomprises a lever 90 having a hub 9| mounted for free rotation on therod II. An upwardly extending arm 92 lies be" hind and has engagementwith alug 93 projecting upwardly from a collar 94 adjustably held on rod'II by set screw 95. A pin 95 on arm 92 holds the rear end of arelatively strong tension spring 91 the forward end of which ishel'd bya pin 98 secured to the bearing 85. The spring 91- is strong A collar 12is held adjustably on rod II by a enough to. overpower the spring'80 andunless controlled by parts to be described will hold the lug 93 to theleft or full line position shown in Fig. 6, thereby keeping the retainerin raised inoperative position.

The lower end I00 of lever 90 cooperates with a cam IOI which has a highdwell I02 and a low dwell I03. This cam is secured adjustably by setscrew I04 to a stub shaft Hi5 rotatable in the lower part of stand 85.Secured to shaft I05 is an arm I06 connected to a diagonal rod I01extending rearwardly and downwardly as indicated in Fig. 1. The highandlow dwells I02 and I03, re-

;;-. cooperate with the ground wefts.

spectively, of the cam IOI are connected together by a riser shoulder '0which causes or permits movement of lever 90.

The rear end of rod I01 extends through a head H5 adjustably positionedrelatively to the rod by nuts H6, and'the head is pivoted as at II! toan arm IIB fastened to the rocking rod 52' as at I20.

By reason of these connections between the color rod 52 and the cam INthe latter will be given four different angular positions, dependingupon the position of the shuttle boxes. It is apparent therefore. that,dependent upon the position of the cam I JI relative to its supportingshaft I05. the lever 90 will assume one of the two positions indicatedin full and dotted lines in Fig. 6.

In describing the operation it may be assumed that the shuttles S and Scarry two distinctive types of decorative weft while the lower shuttlesS and S carry the. weft for the ground weave. The retainer pin mustcooperate with the weft of the two upper shuttles S and S but must notUnder this condition the lever 90 and the setting of cam IN on the shaftI05 will be such that the high dwell IE2 will control lever 90 when thedecorative weft is being woven by shuttles S and S This condition willprevail because lever 45, when in positions at or b of Fig. 3, will holdrod Iill rearwardly to locate cam dwell I02 under lever 90. Under thiscondition the parts, will be as shown in Fig. 8, lever 90 having beenrocked in a clockwise direction around the axis of the rod II to movearm 02'. rearwardly against the action of spring 91. thereby permittingspring 86 to turn rod 'II and the retainer pin to the dotted lineposition of Fig. 8. Movement of the retainer is limitedby engagement oflug 93 fast on rod II with arm 92. The time at which spring 80 ispermitted to act is an important feature of our invention and isdetermined as will now be set forth.

The gang of shuttle boxes ordinarily starts its shifting during thelatter part of a forward on the handrail is far enough forward to engagearm 8 I. This engagement prevents quick movement of the retainer to thedotted line position of Fig. 8 and the retainer turns gradually as thestop I25 movesv rearwardly. The retainer there-fore moves to operativeposition by a motion which is controlled by the backward stroke of thelay. The stop moves away from arm 8I,

, however, before the lay reaches picking position,

and the retainer is therefore behind the thread extending from theselvage to the shuttle with decorative weft about to become active. Whenthe shuttle is picked therefore a short time later in the rearwardstroke of the lay its weft will be held by the retainer pin which willresist the lateral force exerted by the weft and thereby preventmisplacement of the warp threads.

In order to prevent damage to the reed and cloth and also the retainerpin it is necessary to move the pin out of the path of the reed on thefollowing forward beat of the lay, and this is accomplished by means ofthe stop I which strikes arm 84 on the forward motion of the lay to rockthe retainer from the dotted to the full line position of Fig. 8 toclear the reed. This forward motion of the retainer pin is against theaction of spring 86 and can occur despite the fact that the high dwellIUZ holds the lever 99 as shown in Fig. 8 because of the ability of lug93 to move forwardly away from and out of engagement with arm 92. Arm 90will be positioned by the high dwell as long as decorative weft is to bewoven.

When the weaving of decorative weft is completed, there will be acontrol exercised by the pattern mechanism not shown resulting inmovement of one or the other of shaft 25 or 28, causing a shift of leverand a rocking of rod 52 to a position which will locate the low dwellI53 under the lever 95. This condition is accompanied by a resumption ofcontrol of rod H by the relatively strong spring 9'! which acts througharm 92 to advance lug 93 and therefore rock the rod II to the positionshown in Fig. '7, thereby returning the retainer to inoperativeposition. Under this last named condition rearward motion of the laywill not be accompanied by movement of the retainer finger to weftholding position.

Should it be desired to operate the loom with but one decorative weftthe position of cam IOI can be changed relatively to the short shaft Iby means of the set screw I04 so that a shifting of the shuttle boxesfrom a position in which shuttle S is active to that in which shuttle Sis active will be accompanied by movement of the low dwell I03 under thelever 90. In a similar manner, should it be desired to have threedecorative wefts, the cam IOI will be set to keep high dwell Hi2 underlever while shuttles S, S and S are active.

The time at which the retainer is free to move rearwardly during thesweep of the lay is independent of the number of shuttles which arelaying decorative weft. If control of the retainer is to be exercised byboth disks 2'! and 29 they will turn simultaneously, whereas if thecontrol is to be exercised by but one of these disks, the movement willbe in the same period as that during which both disks would movesimultaneously. For this reason the controller pin is released at thesame point in the sweep of the lay regardless of the number of shuttleswhich are weaving decorative weft.

Reference to Fig. '2 shows that there is a retainer pin at each side ofthe loom, each pin being controlled by the color rod 52. When a periodof decorative weft laying begins the proper shuttle at the left handside of the loom as viewed in Fig. 2 will be rendered active and theweft thread extending from it to the cloth will be in front of the leftretainer. As the latter moves down therefore it will be behind thedecorative Weft and as the shuttle enters the shed along a path behindthe retainerits weft will be caught and held by the left retainer. Theshuttle arrives at the opposite or replenishing side of the m andtherefore ceases to exert further tension on the weft before the fingerI25 acts to lift the retainer on the forward stroke of the lay.

On the next backward stroke of the lay the shuttle will be at the righthand side of the loom with its thread extending to the adjacent selvagein front of the right retainer pin. As the shuttle is therefore pickedaway from the right side along a path behind the right retainer pin thelatter will catch the decorative weft for the purposes and with theeffects previously described.

From the foregoing it will be seen that we have provided a simplecontrol for decorative weft retainers derived from selective mechanismforming part of the usual weft replenishing loom. It will also be seenthat the condition of a weft replenishing loom which required rod 52 toassume a completed setting befrorethe boxes are fully shifted is also ofadvantage by insuring movement of the control arm 92 rearwardly in ampletime to allow the retainer to reach the dotted line position of Fig. 8before picking. It will also be seen that the control, while derivedfrom cam IOI and lever 9!), permits rod H to move against the action ofspring 86 when stop I25 rocks the retainer forward. It will further beseen that the early release of the retainer pin by the color rod 52prior to complete shifting of the shuttle boxes and while the lay isstill in a forward position permits the retainer to move rearwardly witha gradual movement controlled by the lay, with the result that theretainer has no tendency to override its proper position and mutilatethe race plate. It will further be seen that the cam I Ill can b givenseveral angular settings with respect to the control mechanism so thatthe loom can operate with one or more decorative wefts each of which canbe properly held by the retainers.

Having thus described our invention it will be seen that changes andmodifications may be made therein by those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention and we do not wishto be limited to the details herein disclosed, but what we claim is:

1. In a loom having a lay reciprocating between front and back centerpositions and having shuttle boxes which shift with respect to the layduring the latter part of a forward motion of the lay and the first partof the succeeding backward motion of the lay to place any selected oneof a plurality of weaving shuttles controlled by the shuttle boxes in anactive position, a control member movable to a plurality of controlpositions corresponding to the positions of the shuttle boxes relativelyto the lay, means to complete movement of the member to a controlposition prior to completion of the corresponding box shifting movementof the shuttle boxes, a filling retainer to cooperate with the thread ofat least one of the weaving shuttles when the latter is in activeposition, connections between the member and the retainer to control thelatter and move said retainer to inactive position when certain of theweaving shuttles are active, and means under control of the member tomove the retainer to active position when said one weaving shuttle is inactive position.

2. In a loom having a lay reciprocating between front and back centerpositions and having a gang of shuttle boxes shiftable relatively to thelay to place in active position any selected one of a plurality ofweaving shuttles controlled by the gang of shuttle boxes, a filling cordretainer movable to active position to hold the weft of at least one ofthe weaving shuttles when the latter is active and said retainer movableto an inoperative position when certain other of the weaving shuttlesare active, a control member for the retainer, means to cause thecontroller to move to different positions corresponding to the differentpositions of the gang of shuttle boxes relatively to the lay, said meanscausing the member to complete a movement thereof to a control positionprior to the completion of the corresponding shifting movement of thegang of shuttle boxes and while the lay is in forward position, meanscontrolled by the member when the latter is in certain control positionsto hold the retainer in inoperative position, and means under control ofthe controller and operative when the member is in a position differentfrom said certain positions to move the retainer to operative position.

3. In a loom having a lay reciprocating between front and back centerpositions and having a gang of shuttle boxes which shift relatively tothe lay during the latter part of a forward motion of the lay and thefirst part of the succeeding backward motion of the lay to place anyselected one of a plurality of weaving shuttles in active position, aweft cord retainer movable to operative position to hold the thread ofat least one of the Weaving shuttleswhen the latter is active andmovable to inoperative position with respect to the weft threads of theother shuttles, a control member for the retainer movable to a pluralityof control positions corresponding to the different positions of theshuttle boxes relatively to the lay,

means controlled by the controller to move the retainer to inoperativeposition when said other of the weaving shuttles are active, yieldingmeans normally restrained by the means and released by the latter whenthe controller moves to a position corresponding to said one shuttle tomove the retainer toward operative position, and means on the lay tomove the retainer against the reaction of the yielding means away fromoperative weft holding position as the lay moves to front centerposition.

I 4. In a loom having a lay reciprocating between front and back centerpositions and having a gang of shuttle boxes which move relatively tothe lay during a shifting interval which starts during the latter partof a forward motion of the lay and ends during the succeeding backwardmovement of the lay before the latter reaches back center position toplace any selected one of a plurality of weaving shuttles controlled bythe shuttl boxes in active position, a cord retainer movable tooperative position to hold the weft of at least one of the shuttles whenthe latter is active and movable to inoperative position with respect tothe weft of the remainder of the shuttles when the latter are active, acontroller for the retainer movable to a plurality of controllingpositions corresponding to the positions of the shuttle boxes relativelyto the lay, means to complete the movement of the member to any selectedcontrolling position prior to the end of the corresponding box shiftingperiod, connections between the controller and the retainer to move thelatter to inoperative positions when said other of the weaving shuttlesare active, and

means controlled by the controller to move the retainer to operativeposition when said one weaving shuttle is active prior to the end of thebox shifting interval during which said one weaving shuttle moves towardactive position, whereby the retainer is in operative position prior tothe end of the box shifting period.

5. In a loom having a lay reciprocating between front and back centerpositions and having a gang of shuttle boxes which shift relatively tothe lay durin a period startin as the lay approaches a front'centerposition and ending at a given point in the next succeeding backwardstroke of the lay to place any selected one of a plurality of weavingshuttles in active position at the end of 'a box shifting period, athread retainer movable to operative position to hold the thread of atleast one of the weaving shuttles when the latter is active and movableto inoperative position with respect to the weft of the other weavingshuttles when they are active, a controller movable to a plurality ofcontrolling positions corresponding to the relative positions of theshuttle boxes with respect to the lay, means to complete the movement ofthe controller to a controlling positionv while the lay is near thefront center position thereof and prior to the end of the box shiftingperiod, connections between the controller and the retainer to move thelatter to inoperative position when said other of the weaving shuttlesare active, yielding means to move the retainer toward operativeposition when the controller moves toward the controlling positioncorresponding to that position of the shuttle boxes which places saidone shuttle in active position, and means on the lay to control movementof the retainer toward operative position, said .yielding means movinthe retainer to operative position gradually during backward motion ofand under control of the lay.

6. In a loom having a lay reciprocating between 7 front and back centerpositions and having a gang of shuttle boxes which shift relatively tothe lay during a period starting during a forward stroke of the lay andending during the following backward stroke of the lay to place anyselected one of a plurality of weaving shuttles in active position, amember movable to a plurality of controlling positions, means tocoordinate the movements of the controller with the shifting movementsof the shuttle boxes and complete the movement of said member tocontrolling positions prior to the completion of the corresponding boxshifting period, a thread retainer, normally acting means controlled bythe member to hold the thread retainer in inoperative position withrespect to the threads of certain of the weaving shuttles when thelatter are active, an element moved by the member when the remainder ofsaid shuttles is active to overpower the normally acting means, andyielding means thereupon effective to move the thread retainer towardoperative holding position with respect to the weft of said remainder ofweaving shuttles when the latter are to be in active position.

'7. In a loom having a lay reciprocating between front and back centerpositions and having a plurality of shuttle boxes shifting relatively tothe lay to place any selected one of a plurality of weaving shuttles inactive position at the end of a shifting interval starting during aforward stroke of the lay and ending during the next succeeding backwardstroke of the lay, a controller to assume a plurality of controllingpositions corresponding to the positions of the shuttle boxes relativelyto the lay, means to complete movement of the controller to controllingposition prior to the end of the corresponding box shiftin interval, athread retainer, a spring to hold the retainer inoperative with respect;to the weft of certain of the weaving shuttles when the latter areactive, connections from the controller to the spring to overpower thelatter when the remainder of said weaving shuttles is active and thecontroller is in position corresponding to said remainder of theshuttles, and a second spring Weaker than the first spring to bethereupon operative to move the retainer toward operative position tohold the weft of said active remainder of the weaving shuttles.

8. In a loom having a lay reciprocating between front and back centerpositions and having a plurality of shuttle boxes shiftin relatively tothe lay to place any selected one of a plurality of weaving shuttles inactive position at the end of a shifting interval starting during aforward str ke of the lay and ending during the next succeeding backwardstroke of the lay, a controller to assume a plurality of controllingpositions corresponding to the positions of the shuttle boxes relativelyto the lay, means to complete movement of the controller to anycontrolling position prior to the end of the corresponding shuttle boxshifting interval, a thread retainer, a relatively strong springnormally holding the retainer inoperative with respect to the weft ofcertain of the weaving shuttles when the latter are active, connectionsfrom the controller to the spring to overpower the latter when theremainder of said weaving shuttles is active and the controller is inposition corresponding to said active remainder of the shuttles, and asecond spring weaker than the first spring thereupon operative to movethe retainer toward operative position to hold the weft of said activeremainder of the weaving shuttle, said connections including a camconnected to and moved by the controller and a lever movable by the camand connected to the relatively strong spring,

9. In a loom having a lay reciprocating between front and back centerpositions and having a plurality of shifting shuttle boxes which shiftrelatively to the lay to place any selected one of a plurality ofweaving shuttles inactive position during a shifting period startingduring a forward stroke of the lay and ending during the next succeedingbackward stroke of the lay, a controller to assume a plurality ofcontrolling positions corresponding to the positions of the shuttleboxes relatively to the lay, means to give the controller a completemovement to any selected controlling position while the lay is near itsfront center position and prior to the end of the corresponding shuttlebox shifting period, a thread retainer movable to operating position tohold the weft of at least one of the shuttles when the latter is activeand movable to inoperative position out of holding position with respectto the weft of the other shuttles when the latter are active, a stop onthe lay to control movement of the retainer to operating position,connections between the controller and the retainer including a partcontrolled by the controller to hold said retainer in inoperativeposition out of holding position with respect to the wefts of said othershuttles when the latter are active, said controller when moving to acontrolling position corresponding to said one shuttle when the latteris active moving said part out of controlling relationship with respectto the retainer while the lay is near its front center position,

and means thereupon operative to move the retainer toward operatingposition under control of said stop on the lay, the stop acting duringbackward motion of the lay to enable the last named means to move theretainer gradually to operating position prior to the end of thecorresponding box shifting period.

10. In a loom having a lay reciprocating between front and back centerpositions and having a plurality of shifting shuttle boxes which shiftrelatively to the lay to place any selected one of a plurality ofweaving shuttles in active picking position at the end of a box shiftingperiod starting during a forward stroke of the lay and ending during thenext succeeding backward stroke of the lay, the loom having a weft cordretainer to be in operative position to hold the Weft of at least one ofthe weaving shuttles when the latter is active and said retainer to bein inoperative position and inefiective to hold the wefts of the otherof the weaving shuttles when the latter are active, and the loom havingalso a controller having movements coordinated with the shiftingmovements of the shuttle boxes relatively to the lay, the controllermovable to controlling positions corresponding to the positions of theshuttle boxes relatively to the lay prior to the completion of thecorresponding box shifting periods and While the lay is near frontcenter position, that improvement comprising means controlled by thecontroller and effective when the latter is in the controlling positionscorresponding to said other shuttles when the latter are active to holdthe retainer in inoperative position, disabling means connected to thecontroller and the first named means to move the latter out of controlposition with respect to the retainer when said controller moves to thecontrolling position corresponding to said one shuttle when the latteris active and when the lay is near front center position, and movingmeans normally prevented from acting by the first means thereuponoperative to move the retainer toward operative position.

,11. In a loom having a lay reciprocating between front and back centerpositions and having a plurality of shifting shuttle boxes which shiftrelatively to the lay to place any selected one of a plurality ofweaving shuttles in active picking position at the end of a shuttle boxshifting period starting during a forward stroke of the lay and endingduring the next succeeding backward stroke of the lay, the loom having aweft cord retainer to be in operative position to hold the weft of atleast one of the weaving shuttles when the latter is active and saidretainer to be in inoperative position and ineffective to hold the weftsof the other of the weaving shuttles when the latter are active, and theloom having also a controller having movements coordinated with theshifting movements of the shuttle boxes relatively to the lay, themember movable to controlling positions corresponding to the positionsof the shuttle boxes relatively to the lay prior to the completion ofthe corresponding box shifting periods and while the lay is near frontcenter position, that improvement comprising means controlled by thecontroller and effective when the latter is in the controlling positionscorresponding to said other shuttles when the latter are active to holdthe retainer in inoperative position, disabling means connected to thecontroller and the first named meansto move the latter out of controlposition with respect to the retainer when said member moves to thecontrolling position corresponding to said one shuttle when the latteris active and when the lay is near front center position, moving meansnormally prevented from acting by the'first means thereupon operative tomove the retainer. toward operative position, and lay controlled meansacting in conjunction with said moving means to move the retainergradually to operative position during backward motion of the lay.

12. In a loom having a lay reciprocating between front and back centerpositions and having a plurality of shifting shuttle boxes which shiftrelatively to the lay to place any selected one of a plurality ofweaving shuttles in active picking position at the end of a box shiftingperiod starting during a forward stroke of the lay and ending during thenext succeeding backward stroke of the lay, the loom having a weft cordretainer to be in operative position to hold the weft of at least one ofthe weaving shuttles when the latter is active and said retainer to bein inoperative position and ineffective to hold the wefts of the otherof the weaving shuttles when the latter are active, and the loom havingalso a controller having movements coordinated with the shiftingmovements of the shuttle boxes relatively to the lay, the controllermovable to controlling positions corresponding to the positions of theshuttle boxes relatively to the lay prior to the completion of thecorresponding box shifting periods and while the lay is near frontcenter position, that improvement comprising means controlled by thecontroller and effective when the latter is in the controlling positionscorresponding to said other shuttles when the latter are active to holdthe retainer in inoperative position, disabling means connected to thecontroller and the first named means to move the latter out of controlposition with respect to the retainer when said member moves to thecontrolling position corresponding to said one shuttle when the latteris active and when the lay is near front center position, and movingmeans normally prevented from acting by the first means thereuponoperative to move the retainer toward operative position, said disablingmeans including a cam to actuate the disabling means, and said cam movedby the controller in timed relation therewith.

13. In a loom having a lay reciprocating between front and back centerpositions and having a plurality of shifting shuttle boxes which shiftrelatively to the lay to place any selected one of a plurality ofweaving shuttles in active picking position at the end of a box shiftingperiod starting during a forward stroke of the lay and ending during thenext succeeding backward stroke of the lay, the loom having a weft cordretainer to be in operative position to hold the weft of at least'one ofthe weaving shuttles when the latter is active and said retainer to bein inoperative position and inefi'ective to hold the wefts of the otherof the weaving shuttles when the latter are active, and the loom havingalso a controller having movements coordinated with the shiftingmovements of the shuttle boxes relatively to the lay, the controllermovable to controlling positions corresponding to the positions of theshuttle boxes relatively to the lay prior to the completion of thecorresponding box shifting periods and while the lay is near frontcenter position, that improvement comprising a cam having high and lowdwells connected to and movable by the controller to positionscorresponding to the controlling positions of the controller, meanscontrolled by the cam and operative when cooperating with one of saiddwells to hold the retainer in inoperative positions when said other ofthe shuttles are active, said controller when moving to the positioncorresponding to said one shuttle when active moving the other dwell ofthe cam into controlling relationship with the means to move the latteraway from control position with respect to the retainer, and movingmeans thereupon operative to move the retainer toward operative positionto cooperate with the thread of said one active shuttle prior tocompletion of the corresponding shifting of the shuttle boxes.

14. In a loom having a lay reciprocating between front and back centerpositions and having a plurality of shifting shuttle boxes which shiftrelatively to the lay to place any selected one of a plurality ofweaving shuttles in active picking position at theend of a box shiftingperiod starting during a forward stroke of the lay and ending during thenext succeeding backward strokeof the lay, the loom having a weft cordretainer tobe in operative position to hold the weft of at least one ofthe weaving shuttles when the latter is active and be in inoperativeposition and inefiective to hold the wefts of the other of the Weavingshuttles when the latter are active, and the loom having also acontroller having movements coordinated with the shifting movements ofthe shuttle boxes relatively to the lay, the member movable tocontrolling. positions corresponding to the positions of the shuttleboxes relatively to the lay prior to the completion of the correspondingshuttle box shifting periods and while the lay is near front centerposition, that improvement comprises a cam having high and low dwellsconnected to and movable by the controller to positions corresponding tothe controlling positions of the controller, means cooperating with thecam and operative when cooperating with one of said dwells to hold theretainer in inoperative position when said other of the shuttles areactive, said controller when moving to the controlling positioncorresponding to said one shuttle when active moving the other dwell ofthe cam into controlling relationship with respect to the means to movethe latter away from control position with respect to the retainer,moving means thereupon operative to move the retainer toward operativeposition to cooperate with the thread of said one active shuttle, andadjusting means to vary the range of movement of the cam with respect tothe first named means to vary the number of positions of said cam duringwhich each of said dwells shall cooperate with the first named means.

ALBERT A. GORDON, 3RD. ALBERT PALMER.

